After the so-called congregative assembly’ of the pro-presidential Communist Party of Belarus (CPB) and the oppositional Party of Communists of Belarus (PCB) the authorities of Homel region continue persecuting the latter one. One of the most widespread means is pressurization of ordinary activists, who work at state enterprises and were elected to check-up committees and other organizational units of PCB whom their administration forces to sign applications about leaving the party, threatening to fire them otherwise.

A former PCB member from Zhlobin said to RFE/RL: I was summonsed to Zhlobin District Executive Committee. They told me to write the statement that I was no longer a PCB member, which I did.’

The PCB first secretary Uladzimir Siakerka adds: The congregational adventure gave no result. Now the authorities are pressing our party from all directions with the aim to deprive it of active members. For instance, at Belarusian metallurgical factory the administration forced to people to write applications about leaving the party. The working contract to a secretary of a Buda-Kashaliova PCB district committee can be stopped. Homel regional PCB branch is being checked by the tax inspection and the regional justice department.

In Savetski borough of Homel the local authorities pay visits to the party members who live in private houses and insistently advise them to refuse from providing juridical addresses to party structures of the PCB. In the case a structure has no juridical address it is immediately liquidated.

The authorities refuse these accusations: In private, the chair of Buda-Kashaliova District Executive Committee Mikalai Charnysh said: I even welcome the diversity of opinions. You know why? Because it’s easier to make a right decision! What disturbs me is that the party doesn’t seem to really work and implement the political declarations that are put down in its statute.’ However, the education department of Buda-Kashaliova DEC recommended not to prolong the working contract to the 57-year-old secretary of district PCB committee Mikalai Khalameieu, who has worked for 16 years as a headmaster at a local school. His contract is coming to an end and he is proposed to work as a teacher instead of prolongation.